The Top 10 Good Things About The Modern Fairly Odd Parents Episodes

When I was a child, I always watched Nicktoons and one of those certain shows that I always enjoyed was Butch Hartman's 'Fairly Odd Parents'. Starting life as a series of shorts for Nick's Oh Yeah Cartoons; the Fairly Odd Parents was a 2000s cartoon that revolved around a simple-minded 10 year old named Timmy Turner, whose life is made miserable by his evil babysitter Vicky. That is until he's given 2 fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda who use their magic to improve Timmy's life and all shenanigans ensue. Since it's first run the show has been known for showcasing Hartman's signature style of cartoony animation, gag related humour as well as the consequences of using magic and wishes (if they were possible in reality). I'm not gonna lie, at the time this was becoming popular; the Fairly Odd Parents was one of my favourite shows as a child. I liked how unique the premise was with how it mixed fairy tale aesthetics with modern comedy; I remember being obsessed with the magical antics of Timmy and the memorable cast of characters as well as the variety of stories it told. Sure the writing wasn't always strong, but it totally made up for it with its humorous lines, colourful visuals and clever execution of morals.

But after the tv movie "Fairy Idol" aired, the series went on a year-long hiatus; which resulted with many fans to assume that the magic had ended. To put a long story short, our favourite fairies returned with a new character Poof, Cosmo and Wanda's not godchild. The fans of the show thought, what could possibly go wrong?
Sadly this stunt resulted in splitting its fan base as well as the general audiences down the middle. For many fans; the addition of Poof as the "4th wheel" was seen as "jumping the shark through a pair of giant scissors". So to speak. The writing is not as clever they say, all the comedy has become obnoxious they say, and the characters have become prey to 'Flanderization' they say. I don't know whether it's because most of the fans grew out of the show, or that maybe they have a point.

As for my two cents on these 2008-Present episodes; well while I can't take the show seriously anymore because it doesn't take it's self seriously, I actually think the Fairly Odd Parents still has it's good moments. I mean think about it; there's probably a good reason why Nickelodeon and Butch Hartman decided to bring it back, and as you can imagine a lot of money and attention was put into these episodes. Like all tv shows these later Fairly Odd Parents episodes shouldn't be ignored, because it's good to see where all that effort pays off. Prepare to wish to be a kid again, here's my list of what I consider the redeeming qualities of The Modern Fairly Odd Parents Episodes.

10. Poof's Design

Whether you think Poof was necessary or not, you can't deny how cute his design is. During his appearance, I just thought he looked adorable being a baby and what not; so Poof never really bothered me, part of that comes from the fact that I couldn't resist that design.

For me, Poof was a good example of how the animation crew can design cute things. With his round body, big eyes and sweet smile; even if he doesn't do anything it's that design that makes the character stick out. Nothing more I can say but I consider this one of the cutest designs the show has offered, just as he was intended. I mean there's no way you can make Poof not cute?

........Shut up.

9. Balance of Flour

When Timmy and his fairies visit Jorgen's grandmother Nana Boom Boom's bakery, they discover Nana's Brownies, which she made for the annual bake-off between the fairies and the anti-fairies. It's not long till Poof gets addicted to the brownies and eats the entire batch before Nana and Jorgen can make more Timmy and Cosmo (who also want the brownies) steal the recipe by processing it into Timmy's brain. As soon as Anti-Cosmo and Wanda find out, they are bent on taking the recipe for themselves.

For me, this episode is what how you'd imagine what the show would do with a cooking contest, but things get into much higher stakes here. We also learn a bit of the history of Fairy World, as it turns out the baking contest determines the fate of who gets god-children. It has you guessing how everyone is going to get the brownie recipe, and it has you concerned. However I don't want to spoil how this episode turns out, so check it out for yourself if you haven't. All I can say is that it's a recipe for a good episode.

8. Freaks and Greeks
When Timmy's parents go to a Greek-themed party, he and his fairies decide to have a Greek party of their own. So they visit Mount Olympus, in which the gods and goddesses like Zeus, Poseidon, Dionysus and Artemis are there celebrating. But due to an accident; Timmy destroys Mount Olympus so the gods now have their party at Timmy's house. Not only does Timmy try to get rid of them before his parents get back home, but he has to protect their glass figurine collection.

As a fan of Greek Mythology, it was nice to see this show finally tackle this subject matter. It's fun to see how they interpreted these gods and goddesses, we also see how they react to what the modern world has to offer; though it makes me wonder how fairies have a modern lifestyle while the gods don't. But anyway, you feel for Timmy as he has to put up with the Gods' rowdy behaviour. However, this episode does raise some questions towards the end like why couldn't Wanda just fix Mount Olympus with the snap of a finger; but it works for the sake of a story. Nitpicking aside it's still a party of an episode that incorporates something I'm fascinated by in its own Fairly Odd way.

7. The Fairy Beginning

Fans only seem to remember the ninth season for how it retconned previous episodes, so of all things, it decided to end it off with an origin episode. When Jorgen tells Cosmo he never graduated from Fairy Academy, which will result in Cosmo losing his job. To investigate who could have sabotaged Cosmo's chances of passing, he tells the gang his school days. The episode continues to show what Cosmo, Wanda, Jorgen, Juandisimo, The Tooth Fairy and Cupid were like in their teen years, and how they came to be who they are today. There are even some similarities to Hogwarts with the Fairy Academy. It combines the flashback episode and a mystery aspect to make you guess how things turn out for these characters. It's decent how the show decided to give us a little prequel to cap off this season; though considering it continued to go on this long, I kind of wish this is how they cap off the entire series. But don't take my word for it, give this episode a look if you're still curious about the show's history.

This episode also has a scene that kinda makes fun at Trump's expense, but I think I've made enough fun of Trump at this point.

6. Bad Heir Day
We all know Denzil Crocker as the series' main antagonist and his determination to capture Timmy's

fairies and use them for his own purposes. But his character has managed to stay consistent throughout the series and has not been 'flanderised' in the least, Some viewers have even said that Crooker is the highlight of the later seasons. However, it's this episode that shows Crooker still has some goodness in his heart despite his gradual descent to madness. On Crooker's birthday, he decides that he wants to have a child and start a family After failed attempts to find one, Timmy then loses Poof at Crocker's home. Poof then accidentally ends up wearing Crocker's outfit, leading Crocker to believe that Poof is his son. This leads to Crocker showing Poof his plans and life goals, while Timmy looks for him.

Out of the Crocker episodes from the Modern Era, this is probably the most heartfelt. It feels genuine to see Crocker bond with Poof, even if he's not aware that's his so-called heir is a fairy baby. That and how Poof gives Crocker the experience of having a child of his own. People say that Poof didn't have much of a purpose, but this is one of the cases in which he did. It's also a nice change of pace to have an episode where Crocker's isn't diabolical or villainous, it shows a more human side to him. It shows that Crocker's former self is still deep within him; as he offers Poof kindness, even if it's in his own way. Because of this; you start to feel for him, it's also nice to see Poof warm up to Crocker the more they spend time with each other. It has it's fair share of funny and heartwarming moments, 'Bad Heir Day' is anything but bad.

5. Micecapades

For those who don't know, my favourite cartoon of all time is 'Tom and Jerry' so what happens when you combine that cartoon with this cartoon? You get this. So this episode starts with the boys watching "Sleazy and Cheezy", a version of the classic cat and mouse duo in the show's universe (probably so the creators wouldn't get sued). Wanda decides to turn off the tv because she's concerned the cartoon may be a bad influence on Poof. As for Timmy, he is forced to have Vicky look after him while his dad has to tend to a special kind of cheese he got. When Poof sees Timmy defending himself, he's reminded of 'Sleazy and Cheezy" and turns Vicky to a cartoon cat and Timmy into a cartoon mouse.


Now, this is not the first and only time Vicky and Timmy assume the roles of Tom and Jerry, they pretty much did this in the tv movie "Channel Chaser". But here they take this idea and build an entire episode around it. This episode is a good homage to the classic T&J shorts; capturing the slapstick, and cartoon violence they're known for, in that Fairly Odd Parents style. When it's not paying homage to the animated works of Hanna Barbera;  it manages to way to tie these plot points together, laced with a sense of timing and energy much similar to the aforementioned cat and mouse cartoon. Much like 'Freaks and Geeks', I do wish the ending could have used a bit more fine-tuning. But as it is; it does a good job paying tribute to an iconic cartoon, so T&J fans including me can appreciate it.

4. Food Fight

Not to be confused with that episode of 'The Cramp Twins' or that god awful animated film, this season 8 episode stands out for different reasons. When Timmy and his dad can't stand Timmy's Mom's cooking, she then finds out what they both think of it. She even discovers that they've been hiding the meals she has cooked for them, so not to hurt her feelings (to which it does). Feeling guilty Timmy wishes that his mom was the best cook ever. Timmy's mom starts to cook up many extraordinary and delicious dishes with these new found skills; she even turns her kitchen into a paradise made from food that's so appetising to look at, there's even a field made of sausages. Her meals are so good that she turns her home into a restaurant, so everyone in town can taste her cooking. This also catches the attention of a german TV chief who wants Timmy's mom as a contestant on his extreme TV cooking contest, but will Timmy's mom's magic cooking skills be able to last long?

Now in previous episodes, I don't remember it being implied that Timmy's mom ever was bad at cooking. Sure there have been examples of instances where she wasn't the best cook in earlier episodes, heck the best meal she ever made was a bowl of 'cold cereal and milk'. But it works for the sake of telling a story, and in this case, it is a very good story.
What really makes this episode so good is how imaginative it can be with food, they really came up with interesting and creative visuals and designs with the different dishes Timmy's Mom has made. You can practically smell and taste these dishes, don't you just want to go through these sausage fields? But the cherry on top for "Food Fight' is the resolution at the end, which I won't spoil here. All I can is that it's a nice and touching moral that doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a well-prepared episode that'll satisfy your tastes and a real feast for the eyes. Now if you excuse me I'm going to run through the sausage fields, I FEEL SO GREASY!

3. King Chang

If you have watched the show around the 4th season; you'd know there was an overarching story with the alien character Mark Chang. In which he is forced to marry the alien princess Mandie to bring their planets together to take over the galaxy; but Mark runs away because he doesn't find her attractive (if you know Mark's alien race think that beauty is ugly and vice versa). Mandie has been determined to hunt down Mark while he has been hiding on earth ever since then. In this instalment; someone is planning on assassinating Mark's father, the king of Yugopotamia. He finds Mark so he can use him to take over the kingdom while he resides on Earth. So while Mark takes on his new responsibility, Timmy becomes a bodyguard and find out who the assassin is. It turns out to be an elaborate plan by Mandie, in order to marry Mark. But will she succeed in her evil plans and what does this mean for the fate of Mark and Yugopotamia?

The reason why I consider this a good episode is because it gives closure to a story arc the show had for a long time; the fans have been wondering the outcome of this series of episodes, and this episode doesn't disappoint at all. The action is good, the writing takes unpredictable turns, that it seems almost suspenseful. Mandie is also a bigger threat in this episode and is more intimidating as she ever was. I'm just thankful they eventually got around to giving this story arc a conclusion; it feels like Season 6 was green-lighted to make this episode, even though they could've done this in a previous season. Regardless we should thank the galaxies this show got a chance to achieve one of its goals with one of its recurring characters. And speaking of goals.

2. He Poofs He Scores

Though I also consider it's sister episode 'The Boss of Me' to have a good story; I gave it some thought and it came down to which could do more than the earlier seasons. In this episode, Timmy doesn't seem to be doing well in his little league football (soccer) game, as he keeps kicking the ball into the other team's net. His dad who's the coach; pressures Timmy to do better so he can beat his rival Dinkleberg's team, the Dinkle Ducks. So Timmy wants to wish he could win the game; but if you've been watching the show, Timmy can't use magic in a competition. So what happens; Poof get in Timmy's cereal, gets himself swallowed and ends up in Timmy's head as well. As Poof plays around with Timmy's brain, his magic causes Timmy to be a better player. But will he still be able to have these new found skills for the final match against the Dinkle Ducks?

There have been sports-related episodes in the show, and this episode pulls it off in a way the Fairly Odd Parents could do. One detail the episode does well is how the other football (soccer) teams have their own distinct identities and uniforms, that have a certain theme to them. The animators also thought of fun ways to show Timmy scoring. They could've easily made Timmy's Dad selfish and resent Timmy, but they show that he wants his son to do the best of his ability. Timmy may be exploiting Poof, but his actions also don't come from a selfish place either. It's another episode where he isn't useless as most fans think; even he doesn't mean any harm when he has fun with Timmy's brain. Its the justifications of these character's actions that make this episode a field goal in my book.

And I'll stop with the goal analogies there. Also Cosmo, you have no room to judge Timmy's intelligence.

Before I get to number 1, I like to give an honourable mention.

Fairly Oddlympics: To promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the makers of the show put together a special sporting event for Fairy World. When the fairies argue with the Anti Fairies and the Pixies; to see who's the best, Timmy puts together The Fairy World Games. This special does everything you can imagine with fairies doing these sports, while also making some of them to be more magical. They even managed to get Scott Hamilton to guest star. Like many other Fairly Odd Parents episodes, it has a good moral; that shows that winners never cheat and that cheaters only cheat themselves. Wait a minute why is there a cheetah doing here?

And the number 1 good thing about Modern Fairly Odd Parents Episodes is..........

1. The Wishology Trilogy

The Fairly Odd Parents have always done TV movies; there have even been recurring aspects here and there, to start Season 7 with a bang the show did something different. This was no ordinary special, but a trilogy of specials which revolve around an ancient prophecy. Many years ago the fairies fought against a mysterious black hole known 'The Darkness'; but when it returns, it sends a group of evil robots known as the 'Eliminators' to destroy none other than Timmy himself. Jorgen tells Timmy that he is the 'chosen one' who was foretold to defeat 'The Darkness' by retrieving 3 mystical wands.

What can I say about this series of episodes, they show that the franchise was willing to go above and beyond than what was done in the past. It's just as big as any of the TV movies of the early seasons, and it feels closer to the spirit of 'The Fairly Odd Parents'. The premise really expands on the lore of Fairy World, and add a layer to the universe of the show. The Darkness and the 'Eliminators' pose as a real threat like any good antagonist, and they're not one-dimensional villains either. The Wishology trilogy really embrace the fantasy aspect, while making many references to well-known film series. They also have guest stars whose roles are important to the plot; speaking of character, this series utilises many characters to take on roles you wouldn't imagine them being in. It also has plenty of suspenseful action scenes, the concepts and the designs capture the same imagination the show is known for. Every plot point serves a particular purpose, and really subverts your expectations.

The makers of the show made an extra effort to make this series of specials feel like a movie than an extended episode. They also feel much grander in scale; the stakes have risen, the writing feels solid enough to fit that format. It takes the series to epic proportions; which is what the live-action movies with Drake Bell were missing (And I'll get to those someday). From my point of view; this trilogy managed to take the franchise to new heights, instead of being a ratings trap it told an engaging story that ties all these things together. It took different twists and turns, and each part was told in a distinctive way. I'm not gonna act like this is a perfect trilogy, but I still consider it the best thing to come out of the seasonal rot, and I still stand by that. I totally recommend this to fans of the show, as well as those who are fans of epic trilogies.

So there's a list of what I consider the best things about The Modern Fairly Odd Parents Episodes. And it just goes to show; that even if a TV show or franchise has passed it's prime, it can still have some value to it. These moments show that the cartoon still has creative potential left in it and that Butch Hartman does still care about what made it work in the first place. This list proves that this show can still be as good and funny as it once was. Sure you have to go through the duds, but it's worth finding those diamonds in the rough. If you've been put off by the Fairly Odd Parents in it's later years; just keep this list in mind, because I believe the positive qualities of the later episodes should be acknowledged. So tell me what you think is the best episode or aspect of the Modern Fairly Odd Parents seasons, and tell me if you agree with me or not. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get this cheetah get out of my house.